TUDS staff prove that they're basically superheroes, again

Tufts University Dining Services, as always, has done us a great service for the past two days, with Carmichael and Dewick Dining Halls remaining open despite the doomsday snowstorm. Students have expressed their gratefulness on the Facebook page as well as on Yik Yak and Twitter.

Tufts Dining (TUDS) informs its employees upon hiring whether or not their positions are “essential” – if so, they are required to work during emergency situations like on Tuesday and Wednesday. There is a review of this policy three times a year. Tufts also provides accommodations and basic amenities like toothpaste, soap and shampoo to employees who choose to stay; there is no requirement for staying on campus, but as an “essential” employee it can often be the best option.

Since so many students rely entirely upon the dining halls for food – especially first-years, who are obligated to have the unlimited meal plan – there’s no visible alternative to keeping them open no matter the circumstances. Plenty of people have snacks in their rooms, but plenty don’t, going to the dining halls or other TUDS options for every meal. On Tuesday, students who do not work at TUDS stepped up to help out at Carm, and this provides a somewhat feasible possibility for extreme conditions. However, given the number of times that the “essential employee” policy has undergone reviews and made it out intact, change probably isn’t on the horizon.

While it makes us students feel bad to know that many of the folks who serve our meals slept in Carm and Dewick on air mattresses – specifically, around 10 staffers in Dewick and six in Carm – it seems unlikely that anyone is going to do anything about it. We’re simply too reliant on the dining halls. Even those of us who are off the meal plan should be thanking them – everyone has a meal plan for at least their first year, so all the students have benefitted from Tufts Dining’s dedication at some point or another. Tufts students have heaped praise on TUDS via social media and put up a thank-you banner on Tuesday, but it’s also a great time to more thoroughly acknowledge the work they do for us.

Leave a nice note on the note-boards – we all have our favorite meals at Dewick and Carm. If the stir-fry that night is even more delicious than usual, say so. If you dream of Dewick’s Sunday brunch every Saturday night, write it down. The staff responds to most of the notes they get, and it’s an easy way to show some love.

Besides that, there’s some other basic stuff you can do as well. Don’t leave plates and food on the tables. Make use of the conveyor belts – they’re there for a reason. Be nice to the dining staff, because they go above and beyond all the time, and it makes a difference.

With all that in mind, this is my challenge to those of you who go to the dining halls with any regularity: Remember to do all that when we weren’t snowed in for two days straight. TUDS works hard year-round, and many of them stay past closing every night to make sure everything is clean for the next day of feeding Tufts kids. They’re the ones we have to thank for weekly brunch, every holiday feast TUDS has given us and all the Dining Around The World days. They do awesome things for us all the time, and we appreciate that, so we should show it. Don’t reserve being a nice person to the staff for the period immediately following Tufts Dining being extra-extra-great – they’re always extra-great, so it’s your job to always be nice to them.

Respect the people who feed you. They’re fantastic.

 

Diane Alexander is a junior majoring in political science. She can be reached at diane.alexander@tufts.edu.